Corporate Confidential
by Cynthia Shapiro · first published 2005
77% recommend23% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Blunt look at how large companies and HR really work: HR protects the company, PIPs are a path to firing, and managers shape your career. Suited to new graduates and anyone at a big company.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
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Using this opportunity to plug the book Corporate Confidential. It will save your career. http://www.amazon.com/Corporate-Confidential-Secrets-Company... A few takeaways. 1. Performance improvement plans are not for performance improvement. They are for firing…
on “Letter to Amazon Board from Fired Ad Exec” ↗…neglect contract work completely. Many companies have a surprisingly large hiring pipeline of contract -> FTE, provided you do a good job. • How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie. • Corporate Confidential by Cynthia Shapiro, if you're in an enterprise / corporate environment.
on “Stripe laying off around 14% of workforce” ↗Their job is to protect the company from the risk that employees represent. If you get a moment, read "Corporate Confidential" by Cynthia Shapiro. Only 200 or so pages, and it's a quick read. But very enlightening.
on “He got 1%, we can't hire him” ↗…manager's skills, reputation, and ambition. Obviously other people can influence your (bigger, life-long) career, but as far as one company goes, this is the truth. This concept is explored wonderfully in "Corporate Confidential: 50 Secrets Your Company Doesn't Want You to Know". http://www.amazon.com/Corporate-Confidential-Secrets-Company...
on “Fired” ↗…lose access to it. "1. Do not talk to anyone else in the company about this issue. Do not trust HR or legal." For more information on the role of HR and why they shouldn't be trusted, read the book Corporate Confidential by Cynthia Shapiro (which I learned about from a comment on HN a while back; thanks to whoever posted that!). Link to book: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0312337361
on “Ask HN: I am about to be fired. What should I do?” ↗"Corporate Confidential" by Cynthia Shapiro draws a particular picture how corporate management thinks. If there is any personal detail that would reasonably lead to expect the persons performance to drop in near future and…
on “Silicon Valley: Perks for Some Workers, Struggles for Parents” ↗…due to "emergencies", etc.). And after the employee is gone, they can give them a lousy reference if they're feeling vindictive. For lots of details on how companies do their dirty work, see the book "Corporate Confidential".[1] Also, some laws that protect collective employee activities like union organizing or discussing salaries may not apply to people who have managerial titles. [1] http://www.amazon.com/dp/0312337361
on “Ask HN: Should I start a salary sharing spreadsheet at work?” ↗…his behavior, he might eventually improve his attitude. For more on HR's role in a company, you might want to read this book (which I read after it was recommended a while back by someone else on HN): Corporate Confidential: 50 Secrets Your Company Doesn't Want You to Know---and What to Do About Them By Cynthia Shapiro http://www.amazon.com/dp/0312337361
on “Ask HN: Dealing with a Toxic Co-Worker” ↗>What interpersonal skills are most important? Read Shapiro's "Corporate Confidential". Despite the rather click-baity (read-baity?) title of the book, it's an fairly good explanation of career management and politics of mid-size to large companies. I'd recommend it to all new graduates…
on “Google Interview University – Plan for studying to become a Google engineer” ↗Yup. This gets posted from time to time, but if you work for a company, you really owe it to yourself to read Corporate Confidential. https://www.amazon.com/Corporate-Confidential-Secrets-Compan...
on “Uber Investigating Sexual Harassment Claims by Ex-Employee” ↗I feel like a lot of people are getting indignant for basically nothing. It doesn't matter what the memo says. I am reading Corporate Confidential by Cynthia Shapiro. It's highly relevant to this situation. Also, for those who have read it, this particular situation becomes an extremely interesting case study on exactly what not to do when you are…
on “The fired Google engineer wrote his memo after he went to a 'shaming' programme” ↗"Corporate Confidential" by Cynthia Shapiro is an excellent book in explaining the various motivations stakeholders at a large company may or may not have. Although the book can be considered bleak, the point is not to train…
on “Ask HN: Moving from a startup to a big co, what should I be aware of?” ↗Check out the book Corporate Confidential from Cynthia Shapiro. It details a ton of DO's and DON'Ts about career growth, development, and struggles. It was a great read but stung in a few places where I realized my own mistakes. Odds are, you'll…
on “Ask HN: Is there a book that teaches you dark patterns of office politics?” ↗Personally I'd start with Corporate Confidential by Susan Dephillips. Skip the first chapter but pay attention to the rest. You aren't in academia anymore and this will give you some hints as to what's expected of you as your career progresses. (As…
on “Ask HN: Resources for incoming new grad SWEs?” ↗HR is not your friend. Corporate Confidential by Cynthia Shapiro is a recommended read. My advice; get a better offer elsewhere, then see if HR wants to pay you your worth.
on “DOJ sues realpage for algorithmic pricing scheme that harms renters” ↗